The Dutch burqa ban in Rotterdam - the rules and exceptions

The Dutch burqa ban in Rotterdam - the rules and exceptions

The Partial Ban on Face-Covering Clothing Act, popularly referred to as the burqa or niqab ban, entered into force on 1 August 2019. The ban says it is not allowed to wear face-covering clothing in education, government institutions, health care and public transport.

As of 1 August 2019, it is forbidden for anyone to wear facial clothing in the tram, bus, metro and train as well as in and around buildings of education, healthcare and government. At these locations, it is deemed important, in the interested of public safety and services, that everyone can recognise and look at each other. It is therefore not permitted to wear clothing that makes the face unrecognizable, such as a full-face helmet, balaclava or burqa.

Part of the reason why people have dubbed it the 'burqa ban,' is because the law was first introduced as a motion by far-right, anti-Islam politician Geert Wilders in 2005.

How the burqa ban works

On paper, a person wearing facial clothing can be made aware of the ban by an employee of the location in public transport and in a building of education, care and government. The employee may ask the person concerned to remove the facial clothing or otherwise leave the location. If the person involved does not do this, the police can be called in and they risk a fine of €150.

Unwillingness to enforce

However, in Rotterdam, the police and public transportation authority RET, have both expressed unwillingness to enforce the ban. If you do wear a burqa or niqab, it's highly unlikely that you'll be fined for taking a ride in the tram. Erasmus University has indicated they won't be enforcing the ban either. Rotterdam-based political party NIDA has announced it will reimburse every woman who receives a fine.

How many women wear niqabs in the Netherlands? 0.002%

Critics of the law say it tackles a 'problem' that does not exist. The amount of women who wear burqas in the Netherlands is statistically irrelevant. It is very rare to see a woman wearing a burqa on the street. There are, however, some women who wear niqabs. In 2006, experts estimated there were between 50 and 100 women who regularly wear niqabs in the Netherlands. Other estimates ranged from 200 to 400. One expert, professor Annelies Moors puts the number somewhere between at least 100 regular wearers and at the most 400 (including parttime wearers). If one were to take the highest estimate (400) and the lowest population count (17 million), the math would show that 0.002% of the population wear niqabs.

Exceptions to the Dutch burqa ban

The ban does not apply to clothing that is necessary for the protection of the body, for example in the exercise of a profession or a sport. Nor does the prohibition apply to clients, patients or their visitors in living quarters of care institutions where people are staying for a longer period of time. Finally, the ban does not apply to clothing that is suitable for festive and cultural activities.
Rotterdam 2019 European parliamentary election results

Rotterdam 2019 European parliamentary election results

Curious how Rotterdam voted in the 2019 European parliamentary elections? Of the 460,651 eligible citizens, only 155,506 exercised the privilege. Still, voter turnout in Rotterdam was 34 per cent, which is a lot higher than the 28.3 per cent in 2014.

Labour wins big

So, how did Rotterdam vote? While the rightwing parties VVD and FvD were trying to make it a two-party race, leftwing  PvdA (Labour Party) became the biggest party with 16,2 per cent of the vote. PvdA's rise is contributed to the popularity of Frans Timmermans, a PvdA politician who is currently serving as First Vice-President of the European Commission and running for President of the European Commission.

Also surprising, GroenLinks (GreenLeft) got 14.2% of the vote and came in second according to a separate report. The VVD (Liberals) came in third in Rotterdam with 13.7% while the progressive democrats D66 ended up with 9%.

190528 rotterdam european parliamentary elections 2019 001190528 rotterdam european parliamentary elections 2019 001

Far Right parties

Anti-EU parties FvD (Thierry Baudet) 12% and PVV 4.3% (Geert Wilders) scored 12% and 4.3% respectively. A week before the elections, Baudet got in hot water for writing an essay stating that some of Europe's problems were due to women joining the workforce. "An inevitable result of all this is the demographic decline of Europe. Another outcome is constant con­flict, constant competition—and in the end, fighting, divorce, and social isolation—and a new generation of boys and girls growing up in such disfigured settings." In the same essay, he also took aim at abortion rights and euthanasia as causes. 

Other parties

DENK 5.5%
CDA 5.4%
PvdD 4.9%
SP 3.9%

Nationwide

The Netherlands has a total of 26 seats in the European parliament. These are the parties representing the Netherlands in Europe for the next five years.

• PvdA ==> 6 seats
• CDA ==> 4 seats
• VVD ==> 4 seats
• Forum voor Democratie ==> 3 seats
• GROENLINKS ==> 3 seats
• ChristenUnie-SGP ==> 2 seats
• D66 ==> 2 seats
• 50PLUS ==> 1 seats

Geert Wilders' PVV, took heavy losses (from 4 seats to 0) and will not be returning to Europe. The same can be said for the Socialist Party (SP) who lost 2 seats and will now have to sit on the sidelines.
Final result of the Rotterdam municipal elections in 2018

Final result of the Rotterdam municipal elections in 2018

The 2018 Rotterdam municipal elections took place on Wednesday, March 21st. On Friday morning, March 23, Mayor Aboutaleb, as chairman of the central electoral committee, announced the final results. 
 
Election stats
  • The total turnout in Rotterdam is: 46.04%.
  • Number of voters: 501,234
  • Number of votes cast: 230,786
  • Number of blank votes: 1.152
  • Number of invalid votes: 2.099
  • Quota: 5.128
The quota: the electoral quota is the total number of votes cast in an election divided by the number of seats to be distributed. The electoral quota is needed to be able to determine the distribution of seats in the city council after the elections.The total votes cast 230,786 divided by 45 council seats yields a quota of 5.128. 
Rotterdam 2018 Municipal Election resultsRotterdam 2018 Municipal Election results

Residual seats
after the first allocation of the 'full' seats to the parties, seats will still remain. These are called residual seats. These residual seats are distributed according to the 'system of the largest averages'.
 
The residual seat distribution is as follows:
  • Leefbaar Rotterdam: 2 seats
  • PvdA: 1 seat
  • D66: 1 seat
  • SP: 1 seat
  • VVD: 1 seat
  • CDA: 1 seat
  • DENK: 1 seat
Drag-net referendum: 57.4% NO / 38.5% YES
Constituents were also asked to cast a yes or no vote regarding a new law that would allow the collection and sharing of personal data with national and international intelligence agencies. Rotterdam voted 'no'. 
  

How about a live show tonight?

Special events happening soon

How about a live show tonight?

Special events happening soon

About RotterdamStyle

RotterdamStyle.com is the largest and most popular online platform for expats and long stay tourists in Rotterdam.

Business inquiries

We're always open to receiving press releases or business inquiries. Just send us an email at hello [@] rotterdamstyle.com.

Acquire us

We're looking to get acquired by a startup or enterprise with deep pockets. Go ahead, make us an offer we can't refuse. ;-)